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Empathy, Honesty and Power Struggles

Posted by Amanda Painter

As you head into the weekend (for many U.S. readers, a long holiday), you’ll want to know that the astrology has some things to say about power struggles and confrontations. Mercury and Mars, both in Cancer, are opposing Pluto in Capricorn. At their best, this pair of oppositions can be leveraged to get beneath the surface of things.

Editor’s Note: This post is the full Planet Waves members’ issue, complete with Eric’s horoscope and the Create section.

Dear Friend and Reader:

As you head into the weekend (for many U.S. readers, a long holiday), you’ll want to know that the astrology has some things to say about power struggles and confrontations. Mercury and Mars, both in Cancer, are opposing Pluto in Capricorn. At their best, this pair of oppositions can be leveraged to get beneath the surface of things.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Mercury opposite Pluto, exact at 8:36 pm EDT tonight (00:36 UTC Friday), is especially good for deep research into a topic or uncovering a secret. With the sign Cancer involved, this could easily mean getting to the underlying emotions that are driving an interpersonal situation or reaction.

In its most productive expression, Mars opposite Pluto (exact July 2 at 8:02 am EDT / 12:02 UTC) can be used to make positive, creative changes in your life.

Again, with Cancer involved, that might mean giving yourself an ‘attitude adjustment’ if your emotional reactivity has been swinging to extremes. What’s really bothering you?
Or it could relate to overdue updates to your actual home environment, just as one example. The main idea is to use the energy constructively and consciously in some way, so that it does not end up using you.

What would that look like? Think power struggles, manipulation, obsession, and trying to control the emotions and actions of others. Remember, you can only ever truly control your own actions and reactions, not anybody else’s.

More generally speaking, a Mars-Pluto opposition is a caution to avoid situations that are known to be dangerous, ‘bad’ neighborhoods, unnecessary risk, and confrontation for its own sake. With a long holiday weekend for many, you’d think that most people would be more relaxed than usual. But when you factor in things like long drives, alcohol, extended families and in-laws, and fireworks, it can be easy for tension to rise and for disagreements to escalate.

So the astrology this weekend is a reminder to practice your deep breathing along with your honesty. Even more importantly, it’s a reminder to stay in touch with your empathy.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

If you feel yourself being drawn into a power struggle of any kind — whether with your neighbor about their loud party (or yours), or with another motorist on a clogged highway exit, or with a family member about plans — your ethics and your empathy will be your most valuable tools. Do you really need to ‘win’ at all costs or prove you’re right?

What exactly is at stake? If your answer is “my ego,” that’s a big red flag to take a step back for some perspective. Same if your answer is “the perfect (whatever)” — there’s no such thing as perfection, after all.

If someone’s health and physical safety hangs in the balance, that would be the time to appeal to the empathy of those around you. You don’t need to stoop to manipulation, just state the facts — and be prepared to leave the situation if necessary.

Astrologer Robert Hand also suggests enlisting the help of others in a Mars-Pluto-style confrontation, rather than going it alone. Current events these days would seem to corroborate the idea of safety in numbers, or in having witnesses, especially in the face of a potentially abusive authority figure. This comes with one caveat: ‘crowd mentality’ is a different beast, with its own dangers. It’s important to keep tabs on any environment where that could be an issue — that is, where people stop thinking as individuals — and to stay sensitive to shifting energy.

All in all, having the Moon in Libra from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon may assist in keeping things fair, balanced and pleasant. By the time the Moon changes signs, both Mercury and Mars will be slipping away from their contact with Pluto, which should aid in resolving anything that’s come up.

Just in time for the Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, you’ll have access to a helpful, excellent video astrology reading. These will be done by sign and rising sign; each reading is about half an hour. You can pre-order now for the best price: $66 for all 12 signs. The price for all 12 will gradually increase in $11 increments over the next few weeks, capping out at $111 once we publish.

I’ve been a devoted student of eclipses since beginning astrology. Here’s some of my earlier writing, published before the grand cross and total solar eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999. These few paragraphs below will give you a feeling for just how significant eclipses are. This one is one of the most important in American history, which I’ve covered here.

Eclipses are astrology we can’t deny. If there is a conjunction between Saturn and Uranus, it’s invisible, and while many people may experience changes, only astrologers and their merry bands of readers and students know what’s happening. Yet when the Sun vanishes, you can be sure that normal activity will come to a stop.

Our busy world will pause, and everyone, from herbicide activists nestled in the hills of Oregon to rock stars in Nashville, will stand in the silent shadow of the cosmic order with the astonishment of small children coursing in their hearts.

This doesn’t happen often, and you can imagine the awesome power of so many people embraced in a kind of simultaneous, captive meditation as everything around them momentarily ceases to be normal. Call it a reality lapse, only it’s one into which the real reality can flow very easily.

In terms of their astrological meaning, eclipses of the Sun follow this image of collective awareness and radical break of continuity. Whether you can see the eclipse does not matter; part of the miracle of astrology is it works anyway. As many of us are discovering personally, eclipses are expanded moments of often uncontrollable, unpredictable change. They also bring the civilization and its communities together, usually through important collective events and the media.

Eclipses are evolutionary gateways, which is another way of saying that when they show up, we do a lot of growing in a short time. Delays are compensated. Old accounts can be wiped clean. While each is unique, eclipses often feel like being shot through a funnel of space-time, and we emerge somewhere different than where we entered. The key to making the best use of them is to move with the energy, not cling to anything or anyone too tightly, and to stay open.

Literally, breathe, communicate, feel, love, observe and receive. Remember your intentions. The sense of panic that sometimes accompanies them yields nicely to awareness and revelation, mental conditions that are more natural than we often realize.

Molly Gawler, dancer and choreographer, along with Shana Bloomstein and Kristi Williamson, in a video still from Womb Water Dance: Dedication to the 7th Generation, accompanied by Andrea Dole and Lao Gillam. You can read more about Gawler (a former lead dancer with Pilobolus Dance Theater) and her classes, and view other videos of her dance, at her website, Droplet Dance.

Our Water, Our Power, Our Legacy

By Amanda Painter

Since the major astrology this week seems to highlight the potential for interpersonal power struggles, it may be a good time to remember that perhaps the most incredible power lies within: the power to create new life. With activity in the sign Cancer — which relates to cycles, motherhood and the sea — it’s a perfect week to witness Molly Gawler’s Womb Water Dance: Dedication to the 7th Generation.

Brought to my attention (thanks to the magic of Facebook) by longtime Planet Waves reader Carla Sanders, this video was a local Mid-coast Maine offering for the June 24, 2017, Global Water Dances. The bi-annual event, held across six continents, aims to raise awareness for global water issues and inspire international collaboration through the universal language of dance.

Gawler, who is due to give birth in July, has created a movement meditation with two other dancers that begins and ends with the focus on her beautifully pregnant belly: the sea from which we all emerge. Taking place on some flat rocks just at the water’s edge on a misty morning, Womb Water Dance quietly weaves together a sense of emergence and return; earth, sky and water; flute and vocal intonations mixing with the birds and waves in a prayer for the sanctity of water, and the sanctity of life.

In this week’s Planet Waves FM [play episode here] I have an interview with Melanie Reinhart, author of Chiron and the Healing Journey. This is really the latest installment of a conversation that’s been going on for about 19 years, by phone, on Skype, at conferences and by email.

The interview begins about one hour and 40 minutes into the show, and lasts a little more than an hour.

Before we get there, I talk about the current astrology, featuring that interesting pattern currently developing between Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. That morphs into Mars opposite Pluto on July 2. It’s going to be a rather lively Independence Day weekend.

I just discovered that the new series of Twin Peaks episodes began two months ago, and I have a review for you. David Lynch is again at his best, illustrating why things are so crazy on the planet. In essence, people are in a kind of daze, which provides the perfect opportunity for dark forces to work through us.

Juan Christian Guerrero summed it up best. “In its original run and as continued today, Twin Peaks is the most appreciably accurate, overdue, and total condemnation of extant Radical American Evil to have occurred as a cultural phenomenon since Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho — and outdoes that work in its doing so by vast degrees.”

Our musical guest is Radiohead, with samples of their 1997 album OK Computer. Much like David Lynch, Radiohead is bringing the news of what’s happening in the world, through one of the most influential records in rock history.

Planet Waves FM is internet community radio sponsored by your donations to Chiron Return, Inc., and your memberships to Planet Waves. Chiron Return is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Don’t forget to take advantage of this special gift: Eric’s Daily Horoscope can arrive in your mailbox by 7 am ET, containing great astrological guidance for all 12 signs. You can sign up with our compliments, though we welcome donations.

Your Planet Waves Horoscope for June 30, 2017 | By Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Part of being an adult means having dealt with your parents. This happens so rarely that the idea is being lost. The first step is recognizing how much power they hold over you — even if they’ve left the world. Be honest with yourself about the ways you feel held back or controlled. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may not see the point of recent events, though over the next few days they will make much more sense. The underlying theme is how you present yourself to other people, contrasted with what you feel within. You’re learning how to be consistent, which saves energy and is much easier. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You now have a clearer picture where you stand with someone, and more significantly, the ways in which your viewpoints contrast. Can you identify any common ground? What more would it take for you to trust this person enough to explore some mutually agreed place? Have that discussion. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Astrology can help you. In the right hands, astrology can provide you with a new perspective on your life. My readings are designed to help you consider all of your possibilities, your greatest potential, and to help you see your problems in a new light. I’m about to record the Cancer reading for you.If you order now, you’ll get the best pre-order price of $33. Shortly before publication, it’ll be $44 and then the final price will be $55. These readings condense 22 years of my counseling experience, nonstop reflection on the human condition and lots of excellent astrology. They are in plain talk, easy to follow, and paced gently. They are some of my best work; these readings are an invention. And you can have all the benefits. I plan to do this reading next week — earlier than usual, so get on board before the next two price increases. Here’s how to pre-order. If you’re seeking a private consultation, here’s that link.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — There are all kinds of confrontations. Even politely and accurately saying to someone, “You are wearing a red hat,” counts as one. You are ready to go face to face with the world right now, though you may have little idea about the actual structure of power. Be gentle, and ask questions. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Be generous with your praise today and this weekend. Tell people how much you appreciate who they are, not just what they do. Be specific. Remember that most people have a problem that you’re unlikely to have: they feel invisible. When you notice someone, tell them that. You will make a difference. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You may feel like you have more money than you really do, so be cautious what you spend, and what you commit to. If you have extra cash, set some aside for a rainy day — or better yet, for a sunny day. Make sure that whatever you spend is an actual investment in yourself. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Deflect credit for your accomplishments today. Thank people politely and tell people how supportive your bosses, colleagues or employees have been. This will show appreciation for what others have done, and inoculate you from seeming like you’re taking credit that’s not yours. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — This is an appropriate time to consider what you do entirely and exclusively for service. The Sanskrit word is ‘seva’, for which there is no corresponding concept in our culture. What is your long-term devotion, offered for the sake of helping others, and for no other purpose? For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — One question that would serve you well is, would you do what you do for no pay? Or must you get paid? If money is motivating you, then that’s something different from inner devotion to something for its own sake. Such devotion, and that alone, must guide your way. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You’re starting to see that a relationship that was so recently fraught with strife and drama can be turned to much better ends. Yet the ends are not what counts: what matters is the quality of the moment you are living in. Imagine that the only eventuality is what you experience right now. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You have reached a turning point, wherein you will either embrace the meaning of love — and love as your only motive — or you’ll set that lesson aside for some other time (or lifetime). What’s the question really about? Have you focused it in your awareness? What, exactly, could be better? For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Keep guiding yourself in the direction you want to go. You still have strong currents beneath you, and fair winds behind you. Those are, of course, factors within your consciousness. You contain your own inner winds and tides; and you must be a master of them, to influence your destiny at all. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

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